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Bus pass holders who are disabled and under retirement age will not be affected by the changes and can continue to use their passes to travel for free, so they can access education and employment.

The new charges come at a time when pensioners over the age of 75 are now being asked to pay for a TV licence.

It brings the county council in line with Stoke-on-Trent City Council, which stopped subsidising free travel before 9.30am in 2012.

North Staffs Pensioners' Convention co-ordinator Andy Day

Andy Day, co-ordinator of North Staffordshire Pensioners’ Convention, said: “We had this argument with Stoke-on-Trent City Council when they did the same thing.

“We campaigned quite strongly on this issue and pointed out then – as we point out now – that people over the pension age often need to get out early in the morning.

“A lot of older people take children to school, when parents are going out to work.

“They might have hospital appointments before 9.30am.

“A lot of older people like to get out early. They travel by bus and then come back in the afternoon.

“I very often travel by bus at just before 9.30am. People will get on the bus and the driver will say, ‘That will be £2-something, but if you wait 10 minutes and get the next bus it will be free.’ So people get on and get off, which is ridiculous.”

First are one of the major operators in the area

He added: “There are a lot of pressures on elderly people at the moment, who get one of the lowest pensions in Europe.

“The TV licence was something that we were expecting, but it is another thing which inhibits elderly people.”

Pensioner Selwyn Brown, aged 81, of Clayton, said: “We have now lost part of the free bus pass because we can’t travel on them before 9.30am or late at night.

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Helen Fisher, cabinet member for highways and transport at the county council, said: “While the vast majority of older people use their passes to travel for free off peak, we are reminding residents that if they do want to travel before 9.30am they will have to pay a fare. This is in line with the national travel programme.

“The good news is that for people who do want to travel in the morning there are some good choices out there, with some operators now offering travel at child’s prices or for just one pound. However, this does vary so please check with your own operator.”

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